free printable constellation star charts

FREE PRINTABLE CONSTELLATION STAR CHARTS HOW TO
FREE PRINTABLE CONSTELLATION STAR CHARTS PDF

You can even cover the two separate pieces with clear contact paper to protect the ink from moisture for those grassy-meadow viewing situations. To make the star wheel a little more durable, try printing it out on cardstock or heavyweight paper (as long as it's an appropriate weight for your printer to handle). Note that if you see a bright stationary object in the heavens that's not on your star wheel, it's probably a planet! Confirm this by looking at the line in the star wheel's viewing oval that says 'ecliptic' - is the bright object somewhere near where that line would be on your sky? If so: planet! The moon will also travel within about +/-5 degrees of the ecliptic through each month. Also, the longer you're outside, the better the chance that your eyes will adapt to the darkness and the more stars you'll be able to see. If there are fewer stars visible to you than appear on the Star Wheel, try to find an observing site that is not flooded by house or streetlight. Depending on how dark the sky is in your area, there may be more stars overhead than are shown on the map. It includes the names of the brightest stars and the most prominent constellations. This Star Wheel is usable for northern latitudes between 30° and 50°, which covers virtually all of the continental U.S., southern Canada, and Europe.

FREE PRINTABLE CONSTELLATION STAR CHARTS HOW TO

If you'd like a more visual guide, watch our video on how to use a star wheel. Stars in the center of the oval will appear directly overhead. The farther up from the edge of the oval the stars appear, the higher up they'll be shining in your sky. Remember that star patterns will look much larger in the sky than they do on the map. Now the stars above the map's horizon should match the real stars in front of you. Once you've set the date and time, turn the Star Wheel so the 'Facing' label at the bottom of the oval matches the direction in the sky you're looking.

Now slip in the circular sky map so it shows through the oval. Then staple the rectangle to the front at the locations marked by short white lines to either side of the oval. To make a Star Wheel, fold the white rectangle at the bottom of the outer sleeve so it's underneath the front. For the outer sleeve (Part 2), make sure you keep the large white rectangle at the bottom also, cut out the white oval in the middle. For the sky map (Part 1), trim away the gray corners so that you're left with a circle 8 inches across. Print out both sheets and cut out the parts.

Part 2, which is the star wheel's outer sleeve.Įach part for the Star Wheel is sized to fit on a single sheet of letter-size paper.

FREE PRINTABLE CONSTELLATION STAR CHARTS PDF

Make sure your computer can display PDF files if it can't, download and install the free Adobe Reader. So what stars will be in your sky tonight? To find out, follow these simple directions to make a star wheel you can use tonight! Make a Star Wheelįirst, you'll need to display (left mouse click) or download (right mouse click) the two parts for your Star Wheel (also known as a planisphere). Likewise, as Earth makes its annual trek around the Sun, you'll see different stars from month to month. This means that you'll see different stars overhead at different times of night. As Earth turns on its axis, the stars appear to rise in the east and set in the west, just as the Sun and Moon do. The motion of the stars marks the passage of time during the night. But what if you can't tell Polaris from Pollux, or Saturn from Sagittarius? No problem! Using this simple, easy-to-make Star Wheel, you'll be navigating the night sky with confidence in no time. Like most people, you probably enjoy getting out under a clear night sky to gaze up at the beautiful tapestry of stars and planets overhead. It takes just a few minutes to make this handy Star Wheel, which helps you navigate the night sky with ease! Click on image for a larger view.

Free printable constellation star charts